Monday, 16 October 2017

Curly Tales: Short Stories with a Twist

A wonderful array of crazy, oddball
characters fill the pages of this book. Meet Professor Julius Brigg, a
brilliant pig with ‘a mind like a steel trap wrapped in bacon’. Meet Big
Charley, a mangy cat, so mean he doesn’t use kitty litter. And Doddie Q Moo, a
cow who likes two read signs. “Go back, you are going the wrong way” makes her
heart flutter.

Each of the thirteen stories is
based on a proverb with a twist such as ‘curiosity chilled/killed the cat’
(poor Big Charley) and ‘every Doddie/everybody makes mistakes’ (you can’t force
your family to join a sign reading club). Short explanations of the proverbs
are included at the back of the book. The illustrations are as humorous as the
text. Imagine an anaconda trying to squeeze an armour-plated armadillo (you
can’t squeeze/please everyone) or a father and daughter flea fun day out (the
best things in life are flea/free).

The generous illustrations, large
print and use of different fonts will appeal to young, independent readers.
This book is humorous and clever, for those who like short stories, a good
laugh and lashings of quirky wordplay. It will suit readers aged 6 to 11 years.